The present disclosure relates to printing systems, and more specifically, to a system and method for estimating the amount of toner required for a print job.
When pricing a print job, print shops must be able to estimate the needed consumables and expenses, e.g., paper sheets, binding tape, periodic printer maintenance and shipping. In any print process, a key cost component is the marker used to generate the prints. In the case of xerographic printing, this marking material, toner, can be a significant factor in determining the overall expense of producing the print job.
Inaccurate toner usage estimation may negatively impact print shops in a variety of ways. If the shop underestimates the amount of toner needed to print a job, job production costs will exceed the estimate and the shop may lose money. Alternatively, if the shop overestimates the amount of toner needed to print a job, its pricing may be high, causing it to lose the job to a competitor.
An accurate toner estimation tool must comprehend numerous factors. Actual toner consumption will vary from one job to another (i.e., different types and amounts of toner will be applied to each individual page). Moreover, the same print job printed using two different print controllers or different print engines will yield a different result. Numerous system level factors can impact overall toner consumption, e.g., the use of banner pages, wastage associated with damaged or unbillable copies, and such printer-related functions as purging. Neglecting any of these considerations will reduce estimation accuracy.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for estimating toner usage that takes into account all of the aforementioned factors.